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Johnny Blaze
| image = | reality = | aliases = Ghost Rider; Blaze | type = | alignment = | status = | race = | gender = | nationality = | occupation = Motorcycle stunt performer | affiliation = Champions of Los Angeles; The Mystic Nine | dob = | pob = | dod = | pod = | boo = | height = | weight = | eyes = | hair = | relatives = Roxanne Simpson-Blaze (wife); Danny Ketch (brother); Barton Blaze (father, deceased); Naomi Kale (mother, deceased) | first = Marvel Spotlight #5 | final = | creators = Gary Friedrich; Mike Ploog | actor = Nicholas Cage }} Johnny Blaze is the central character from the Ghost Rider comic book franchise. He is presented as a former motorcycle stunt rider who was bonded to a demon known as Zarathos after making a deal with the devil to save the life of a loved one. Johnny Blaze was introduced in the pages of Marvel Spotlight #5 and was the feature character in the series until issue #11, after which, he rode off into his own series, Ghost Rider, which ran for 81 issues from 1973 to 1983. Following which, the character lapsed into obscurity for a while, but was resurrected in the early 1990s and was regularly featured playing the role of sidekick to his former demonic partner in Ghost Rider & Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance. Eventually Blaze assumed the mantle of Ghost Rider once again and headlined several miniseries and another ongoing title. In 2007, Marvel Entertainment released the Ghost Rider feature film which starred actor Nicholas Cage in the role of Johnny Blaze. Biography Origin .]] When Johnny was ten-years-old, his father Barton Blaze was a world famous motorcycle stunt rider. Unfortunately, those in that profession have notoriously short life spans and Blaze tragically died performing a stunt. Johnny went to live with the Simpson family, which consisted of fellow stunt rider Crash Simpson, his wife, and his daughter, Roxanne. Johnny took up the family's trade, and began practicing on a motorcycle. He practiced stunt riding for five years until one year, when he was fifteen, he was performing a stunt with Roxanne when his motorcycle caught fire. He pushed Roxanne to safety then angled the bike towards a tree. Roxanne's mother rushed over to save him, but the cycle exploded, gravely injuring her. On her deathbed, Mrs. Simpson made Johnny promise to never perform in the stunt show ever again. She passed away soon after. For the next five years, Johnny kept his promise, but never told Crash or Roxanne of the vow he had made. Both of them began to think that Johnny was a coward for not riding any longer. Crash took it particularly hard. Johnny re-evaluated the vow he made and while he had promised to never again perform in the show, he never promised that he wouldn't ride at all. He began practicing his stunts again, but in secret. When Roxanne found out, she was greatly relieved to see that Johnny was not a coward and the two began to fall in love. Their circuit became large enough that they were able to book a show at Madison Square Garden. Unfortunately, Crash Simpson discovered that he was dying of an incurable illness and had less than a month to live. Nothing could be done to save him, so Johnny turned towards the most unlikely resource of all – the occult. Having spent some time reading about Satanic rituals, he summoned forth Lucifer himself and bargained his own soul in order to cure Crash from the disease that was killing him. Crash, unaware that he had been cured, decided to go out in a blaze of glory by performing an over-the-top, high-risk motorcycle stunt – Jumping twenty-two cars. Johnny and Roxanne tried to talk him out of it, but Crash wouldn't hear of it. Johnny wasn't truly worried though as he believed the Devil would protect him. Crash performed the stunt and failed to jump all twenty-two cars. His cycle crashed and exploded and Crash died. Johnny was furious at this seeming betrayal on the part of the Devil. Lucifer came to collect Johnny's soul and reminded him that he only agreed to cure Crash of the disease. He made no guarantees that Crash wouldn’t die from some other means. Lucifer used his powers to place a curse on Johnny Blaze. At that moment, Roxanne appeared in Johnny's trailer. She was schooled in the occult herself and knew that only someone with a pure heart could drive the Devil away. She spoke a hurried and incantation and forced Lucifer to disappear. The damage had already been done though. That night, Johnny Blaze became the Devil's servant of darkness, transforming into the Ghost Rider for the very first time. Marvel Spotlight, Volume 1 #5 Abilities Powers * Gestaltism: Johnny Blaze has the ability to transform into the demonic Spirit of Vengeance known as the Ghost Rider. The catalyst that prompts the change has varied over the years, but in his more recent incarnation, Blaze transforms into the Ghost Rider whenever innocent lives are threatened. When this happens, Blaze's body, mind and soul are replaced by that of the demon Zarathos, who maintains dominance over the composite form until such time that his services are no longer required. Skills Weaknesses Equipment Weaponry Notes & Trivia * The character of was created by Gary Friedrich and Mike Ploog. Appearances Related pages * * appearances * image gallery * image category * cover appearances See also External links * Johnny Blaze at MDP * Johnny Blaze at Marvel Movies * Johnny Blaze at Comicbookdb.com References ---- Category:1972 character introductions Category:Mystic Nine members Category:Johnny Blaze